At the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. last week, the organization backed an action plan to promote technology, entrepreneurship, open government, and innovation. The Technology and Innovation Task Force, which was created in the beginning of this year, passed a resolution which aims to promote open data at all levelsRead… Read more »
In a January 2011 Executive Order President Obama directed federal agencies to “lookback” at their current rules and regulations to determine if they still make sense and are necessary. The Executive Order requires agencies to: – Identify reforms that will produce significant savings, especially for small business.– Report to the public regularly on their effortsRead… Read more »
As I’ve come to realize, government and industry play an important role in supporting each other. There are many emerging technologies — see graphene — which without government investment in commercializing the technology, may never make it out of the research labs. Government Chief Information, Innovation, and Technology Officers have come to realize this, asRead… Read more »
There are 1,300 Mayors of U.S. Cities with more than 30,000 residents. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is offering $9 million in prizes to these U.S. cities through his charitable foundation (Bloomberg Philanthropies) in a competition for ideas that local governments can use to solve problems. The contest is called the Mayors Challenge and theRead… Read more »
By Sam Williford, Associate Consultant As Greece holds elections this weekend that are chiefly framed around government spending, it is easy to forget about the other part of finance: tax collections. It’s an integral part of learning about finance at Fels, and today’s deal in Philadelphia to raise property taxes and postpone the Actual ValueRead… Read more »
It appears that big developments in local open government stemming from high level planning between major US cities that has been in the works since 2009 could be bearing fruit within the next few months. A partnership of IT executives from Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — known asRead… Read more »
I watched a really good interview earlier on youtube of John Tolva, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at City of Chicago – who speaks about technology, data and Social Business in the public sector – the video was taken at south by south west interactive 2012. A few things stood out for me – not allRead… Read more »
Problem: Limited glass recycling options in New Orleans Engagement: 169 Neighbors posted on Neighborland that they “want the ability to recycle glass in New Orleans.” Solution: Local business, Phoenix Recycling, discussed this desire on Neighborland and launched a program to collect local glass to use for construction projects. In my very biased assessment (I workRead… Read more »
The city of Stockton, California is in dire fiscal straits, as recently evidenced by Wells Fargo’s impending repossession of a property purchased by the city in 2007. The property is partly housed by Stockton’s IT department. A San Joaquin County Superior Court judge ruled that Wells Fargo can move forward with repossession the property afterRead… Read more »
A California city, built on an orange industry which fell in the face of international competition, is regaining its footing through the growth of several technology and business programs made possible by citywide free wi-fi. Program Helps City Close Digital Divide The renaissance in Riverside can be attributed in large part to the SmartRiverside initiative,Read… Read more »